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Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Emanuel Lasker.
White to move and win except where noted.

Solutions are between the brackets under each puzzle.
Drag your mouse from one bracket to the other.
'Print Edition' available for this page.

a)
White Mates in 6. Lasker vs Jacques Mieses, Leipzig, 1889
r1bq3r/pp1p2k1/2nN1pp1/3Q3p/2P4P/4R3/P2K1PP1/4RB2 w - - 0 1
[ Qf7+ Kh6 Qxg6+ Kxg6 Rg3+ Kh7 Bd3+ ]

b)
Black Mates in 5. Jacques Mieses vs Lasker, Leipzig, 1889
3r3k/pp4pq/1n3B2/2pr4/5P2/Q1P3Pb/P1P1NR1P/R5K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rd1+ Rf1 Qe4 ]

c)
Lasker vs Johann Bauer, Amsterdam, 1889
r4rk1/1b2bpp1/ppq1p3/2ppB2Q/5P2/1P2P3/P1PP2PP/R4RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxg7 w/Qg4+ & Rf3 if e5 Rh3+ Qh6 Rxh6+ & Qd7 ]

d)
Black to move and win. Henry Bird vs Lasker, Liverpool, 1890
r4r1k/6pp/1pP2b2/1Bn1q3/2QNp3/8/3R1PPP/4R1K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nd3 w/Qxd4 (if Rxd3 exd3 & if Rxe5 Ra1+ mates) if Ne6 Nxe1 Nxf8 Nf3+ & Ra1+ ]

e)
White Mates in 6. Lasker vs Theodor Von Scheve, Berlin, 1891
8/p3R3/3p1pkp/2pP2p1/2P3Q1/7P/Prq2PPK/8 w - - 0 1
[ Qe6 h5 (if Qxf2 Qf7+ & Qh7+) Qf7+ Kf5 Re6 ]

Lasker Puzzles, Part II. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Lasker vs Raimond, New York, 1892
5r1r/p1p4p/1p5k/5q2/3P1p2/5Q1P/P4P1K/2B3R1 w - - 0 1
[ Rg4 w/Bxf4+ ]

b)
Black to move and win. Henry Bird vs Lasker, New Castle on Tyne, 1892
3R1nk1/5rp1/4Q3/4B3/3pqP2/8/6P1/6K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qe1+ Kh2 Qh4+ Kg1 Qxd8 ]

c)
Black to move and win. Joseph Blackburne vs Lasker, London, 1892
2b5/2p1qr1k/2n3pn/p1N1ppQ1/1pP1P2P/1P2BP2/P1B2K2/3R4 b - - 0 1
[ ...f4 ]

d)
Black to move and win. Francis Lee vs Lasker, New York, 1893
3r4/1r3k2/5b2/2p4p/p1N1n1pP/2Pp1pP1/PP3P2/1R1RNK2 b - - 0 1
[ ...d2 w/...Nxc3 ]

e)
Black to move and win. Erich Schmidt vs Lasker, New York, 1893
8/pNp2rpk/5r2/7p/2PP2bP/4P1R1/P6R/4K3 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rb6 if Nd8 Rf8 if Na5 Rb1+ ]

Lasker Puzzles, Part III. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Lasker vs Eduardo Vasquez, Habana, 1893
r3qrk1/1p1n1ppp/1p6/p3PNN1/P7/1Q6/1P3PPP/R3b1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qh3 if h6 Nxh6+ mates ]

b)
Lasker vs Wilhelm Steinitz, New York, 1894
7n/1p1qr2P/p4R2/2kp4/2p5/P7/1PP4Q/1K6 w - - 0 1
[ Qg1+ d4 Qg5+ w/Rf5 ]

c)
Lasker vs Dawid Janowski, Hastings, 1895
2b1qr1k/p5bp/1p6/1N1p1p2/6n1/4P1B1/PP1Q1PP1/1BR3K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nd6 if Qe6 Rxc8 & Bxf5 ]

d)
Lasker vs Harry Pillsbury, Hastings, 1895
q5k1/Pr5p/2Q3p1/2p5/3p4/1P5P/2P1p1P1/R6K w - - 0 1
[ Qxb7 ]

e)
Lasker vs Mikhail Chigorin, St Petersburg, 1895
4k3/1pr2p2/p1p3pp/6q1/4Pp2/P3Q1P1/1PPR3P/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qd4 w/Qh8+ or Qd8+ ]

Lasker vs Capablanca, St Petersburg, 1914


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Lasker Puzzles, Part IV. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Black to move and win. Henry Bird vs Lasker, Hastings, 1895
1r5k/p5pp/3q1n2/5p2/2PP3b/5B1P/P1bNQ1KR/6N1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Re8 ]

b)
Black Mates in 5. Harry Pillsbury vs Lasker, St Petersburg, 1895
8/pp4pk/4Qb1p/3p4/2qP4/K7/P2R2PP/3R4 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qc3+ Ka4 b5+ Kxb5 Qc4+ ]

c)
Lasker vs Wilhelm Steinitz, Moscow, 1896
1rrb1n2/3kn1p1/2pp4/1p4BP/3PN1p1/1N6/1P2RP2/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Nec5+ w/Nxc5+ if Kd6 Bf4+ mates ]

d)
Black to move and win. Geza Maroczy vs Lasker, London, 1899
3r1rk1/5pp1/1q2p2p/np2P3/4Q3/P7/1B3PPP/R4RK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nb3 if Rad1 Nd2 ]

e)
Black Mates in 2. James Mason vs Lasker, London, 1899
8/2r5/1k5p/1pp4P/8/K2P4/PR2QB2/2q5 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qc3+ ]

Lasker Puzzles, Part V. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
White Mates in 3. Lasker vs Francis Lee, London, 1899
7r/5pp1/1qP2n1p/8/6kP/3Q1NP1/P4P2/2KR4 w - - 0 1
[ Ne5+ ]

b)
Lasker vs Jacques Mieses, Paris, 1900
3r1k1r/5pp1/p4q2/4Nb1p/8/2P1Q1R1/P4P1P/4RK2 w - - 0 1
[ Nc6 if Qxc6 Qe7+ & Qxd8+ or if Ra8 Qc5+ w/Ne7+ ]

c)
Lasker vs Mikhail Chigorin, Brighton, 1903
4r2k/pp2P3/5q1p/5N1P/5Q2/2P2pP1/PP5K/8 w - - 0 1
[ Qd4 ]

d)
White Mates in 2. Lasker vs NN, Manchester, 1903
r2q2nr/5p1p/p1Bp3b/1p1NkP2/3pP1p1/2PP2P1/PP5P/R1Bb1RK1 w - - 0 1
[ Bf4+ ]

e)
White Mates in 8. Lasker vs Siegbert Tarrasch, Dusseldorf, 1908
2r1k1r1/7p/p2Qpp2/2n2p2/1pP5/5BP1/Pq3P1P/3RR1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bh5+ Rg6 Rxe6+ Nxe6 Bxg6+ hxg6 Qxe6+ ]

Lasker Puzzles, Part VI. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
White Mates in 4. Lasker vs B Broderson, Netherlands, 1908
7k/pp3p1p/3pbPrQ/6p1/2PR4/1P5P/P5P1/6K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxd6 ]

b)
Black to move and win. Siegbert Tarrasch vs Lasker, Desseldorf, 1908
3Q4/4r1kp/4r3/8/P2p1p2/1P2b3/2P1R1P1/R2KN1q1 b - - 0 1
[ ...f3 if gxf3 Bg5 ]

c)
Black Mates in 6. A Lasker vs Em Lasker, Breslau, 1909
Q7/2pk1p1p/p2pb3/2p3q1/4n3/7P/PPP2PP1/RN2K2R b - - 0 1
[ ...Qc1+ Ke2 Qxc2+ Nd2 Qxd2+ Kf3 Qxf2+ ]

d)
Lasker vs Oldrich Duras, St Petersburg, 1909
8/6pp/4p3/1p1n4/1Nk1N1P1/P4P1P/1P4K1/r7 w - - 0 1
[ Nd2+ w/Nb3+ ]

e)
Lasker vs Richard Teichmann, St Petersburg, 1909
r4rk1/2p3p1/p2bP2q/np1p4/3P1pR1/2P2Q1P/P1B2P2/R1B4K w - - 0 1
[ e7 if Bxe7 (if Rf7 Bf6 & Qxe5+) Bxf4 & if Qe6 Rxg7+ ]

Lasker Puzzles, Part VII. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Lasker vs Dawid Janowski, Paris, 1909
r2q1rk1/1ppbb1p1/p1np1n1p/4p1N1/3P4/2P1B2P/PPBN1PP1/RQ2R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bb3+ if d5 Bxd5 & if Nxd5 Qh7# ]

b)
Black to move and win. David Janowski vs Lasker, Paris, 1909
7k/p1p1r2p/1p1pnr1q/5pp1/2PPPp2/2PB1P1P/P2Q1PRK/7R b - - 0 1
[ ...g4 w/...Ng5 ]

c)
Lasker vs Dawid Janowski, Berlin, 1910
2r3k1/p3qppp/2pr4/Q2b4/1P2p3/4P3/P3BPPP/2RR2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxd5 if Rxd5 Qxd5 ]

d)
Lasker vs Dawid Janowski, Berlin, 1910
1r3bk1/2q2ppp/p1p5/4P2r/1P3P2/3RN1Pb/2N2Q1P/3R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ g4 Rh6 Nf5 ]

e)
Black to move and win. Dawid Janowski vs Lasker, Paris, 1912
[ ...hxg4 Qxg4 Nf5 ]

Lasker Puzzles, Part VIII. White to move and win except where noted.

a) White Mates in 3. Lasker vs Frank Marshall, St Petersburg, 1914
1k1r4/3b1p2/QP1b3p/1p1p4/3P2pN/1R4P1/KPPq1PP1/4r2R w - - 0 1


b)
White Mates in 2. Lasker vs Fritz Englund, Scheveningen, 1913
2kr1b1r/pp3ppp/2p1b2q/4B3/4Q3/2PB2R1/PPP2PPP/3R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Qxc6+ ]

c)
Lasker vs Allies, Riazan, 1914
1rn5/p1pk3p/1rp5/3q2p1/Q2Pbp2/B7/PPP3P1/2K1RB1R w - - 0 1
[ Bc4 w/Rh6 ]

d)
Black Mates in 3. Max Walter vs Lasker, Ostrava, 1923
4r1k1/3n1ppp/4r3/3n3q/Q2P4/5P2/PP2BP1P/R1B1R1K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rg6+ ]

e)
Lasker vs J Troxler, Lucerne, 1935
rnbq1r2/p1pnb1pk/1p2pp2/3pP3/3P3P/2N1BN2/PPP2PP1/R2QK2R w - - 0 1
[ Ng5+ ]


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